"WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER NIGHTS?"

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"WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER NIGHTS?"

Name: "WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER NIGHTS?"
Author: Lemony Snicket
ISBN: 978-0-316-12304-4

From the All the Wrong Questions series , Vol. 5

by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Seth ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 29, 2015

Best to start at the beginning, but the whole’s an enjoyable ride. (Mystery. 8-14)

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Librarians, a train, a murder, and the end of an apprenticeship.

Young Lemony Snicket’s chaperone, S. Theodora Markson, has crept out in the middle of the night. Following her, he receives an origami message from one of his associates (a word that here refers to the people around his age with whom he shares the goal of stopping the villainous Hangfire from destroying the ink-manufacturing town of Stain’d-by-the-Sea). The message leads Snicket to the railway station, where a train is about to depart Stain’d-by-the-Sea for the city. The train’s taking both Snicket’s former associate Ellington Feint and librarian Dashiell Qwerty (the latter unjustly accused of arson) to the city to await trial. With no ticket, it takes a feat of derring-do to get aboard. When he does, Snicket nearly witnesses a murder…which he then must solve while attempting to keep Hangfire from obtaining the statue of the Bombinating Beast, the final piece in his dastardly plan. With a train half full of suspects, Snicket’s lucky the other half are his associates. Can they trap Hangfire and catch a murderer? Author Snicket (aka Daniel Handler) closes his quartet of smart, noirish mysteries detailing the early training of the chronicler of the woes of the Baudelaire children with several bangs (and a poison dart or two). Most questions (wrong and right) are answered by the satisfying close.

Best to start at the beginning, but the whole’s an enjoyable ride. (Mystery. 8-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-316-12304-4

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
SWARM OF BEES
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Rilla Alexander

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THE BAD MOOD AND THE STICK
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

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GOLDFISH GHOST
by Lemony Snicket ; illustrated by Lisa Brown

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HIDE AND GEEK

From the Hide and Geek series , Vol. 1

by T.P. Jagger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 4, 2022

A snappy mystery that’s full of heart.

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A group of bright friends tackles the puzzle of their lives.

Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting ongoing dramas for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tightknit crew of sixth grade best friends whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim. She and science-minded prankster Elena Hernández, theater kid Edgar Feingarten, and driven math genius Kevin Robinson decide to get to the bottom of things when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood before her death—but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate multistep puzzle. Gina hopes that deciphering the clues and finding the missing fortune will be just the thing to revitalize the down-on-its-luck town and bring the Elmwood Tribune back into the black, saving her mom’s job and Gina’s passion project. The GEEKs work together, using their individual talents and deductive reasoning skills to unravel the mystery. Infused with media literacy pointers, such as the difference between fact and opinion and reminders to avoid bias when reporting, the story encourages readers to think critically. Gina and Edgar read as White; Elena is cued as Latinx, and Kevin is implied Black.

A snappy mystery that’s full of heart. (Mystery. 9-13)

Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-37793-2

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER

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THE LOST LIBRARY

by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 29, 2023

A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart.

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A boy who visits a little free library gets more than he bargained for when he becomes a sleuth caught up in the middle of his town’s most enduring mystery.

Ever since a tragic fire destroyed the Martinville Library, the town has been left without a place to borrow books. That is, until a little free library suddenly pops up, guarded by a fluffy orange cat named Mortimer. Fifth grader Evan McClelland selects two books from its shelves. Inside them he finds puzzling clues that lead him to chase down the real story behind the library fire. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including those of Evan, Mortimer, and ghost librarian Al, who perished in the blaze and is responsible for the upkeep of the little free library. Evan’s tenacious and curious character is relatable. His relationship with likable best friend Rafe, a brave, kind boy with overprotective parents, is easily one of the most endearing parts of the story. The puzzle over the library fire, a secret involving Evan’s family, a popular writer’s connection to Martinville, and the supernatural elements are presented in ways that are just right for middle-grade readers. The pacing is strong, and the twists and turns are satisfying even if perceptive readers may catch hints of the ultimate truth along the way. Physical descriptions of the human characters are largely absent.

A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart. (Mystery. 8-12)